The most popular MLB teams (according to Facebook)

The MLB is one of the largest and most profitable sporting leagues in the world. MLB teams are valued at an average of about $1.64 billion. Despite this the MLB is still lagging behind other sports when it comes to their social media presence.

One reason for this is the lack of global interest, with soccer dominating the top spots. But that doesn’t explain why the NBA and the NFL teams have a much larger social media fanbase. One reason could be the MLB’s draconian social media policy, which restricts players from posting on social media, which in turn alienates younger fans.

The MLB vs other sports

If we look at the most popular teams in terms of Facebook followers, we can see that The New York Yankees are the only MLB team to make the top 10. The top three spots are taken by the soccer teams FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United. Then in fourth place it’s NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers followed by Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool before we are back at the NBA with the Boston Celtics.

The New York Yankees grab the top spot

The Yankees dominate the MLB Facebook rankings, no doubt because they are such a global brand, with their caps selling out all over the globe. They have over 8.6 million followers. In second spot you have the Boston Red Sox with around 5.3 million. Then you have a number of teams bundled in together around the 2.5-3.5 million follower mark including the Chicago Cubs, LA Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.

MLB gaining ground globally

The good news is that the MLB is sparking interest all around the world. The sport is huge in Japan and South Korea, but in recent years it’s also gained popularity in Europe with the London Games. This, in part, can be attributed to the popularity of sports betting in Europe and Asia.

Baseball as a sport is a bettor’s wet dream, with 160 games played by each club and a large variety of outcomes available. This is why the best online sportsbooks have invested so heavily in their MLB betting selection. The sophisticated analytical aspect to baseball has also meant that the best US sportsbooks for MLB betting are often the established US fantasy sports operators like DraftKings and FanDuel.